


Supporting Me

by TheMetalOverlord



Series: Shadowverse AU [1]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Avatar | Custom Hero (Sonic Forces) is Called Gadget, Black Arms (Sonic the Hedgehog) - Freeform, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Does Avatar | Custom Hero (Sonic Forces) Count As An OC?, Eggman Empire (Sonic the Hedgehog), Emerl Lives, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Inspired by Fanfiction, It's Not Amy It's Sonic's Enemies, Original Character(s), Post-Sonic Adventure 2, Post-Sonic Heroes, Presumed Dead Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog (Video Game) - Freeform, Shadow x Amy Rose, Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Battle, Sonic Heroes, Sonic and Shadow Character Swap, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tragedy with a happy ending, What-If, shadamy - Freeform, sonamy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27252694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMetalOverlord/pseuds/TheMetalOverlord
Summary: Following the apparent death of Sonic the Hedgehog after their victory over the Final Hazard, Shadow the Hedgehog resolves to fight for justice like the Blue Blur once did. Follow Shadow's adventures in a world that might have been as he takes Sonic's place as the hero of Mobius, helping those affected by Sonic's demise come to terms with it and heal, while the Black Blur himself and a certain rose develop feelings for one another.But, even with the Ultimate Life Form's protection, all is not well as a trio of heroes called the Future Fighters led by a white hedgehog named Silver appears, warning of a threat that will doom the world, a threat with ties to Shadow's origins.And the lack of a body heralds another question... is Sonic the Hedgehog truly dead? Or could he have been hidden away somewhere for an ironically nefarious purpose?
Relationships: Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose/Sonic the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat/Silver the Hedgehog, Gerald Robotnik & Maria Robotnik, Gerald Robotnik & Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna/Rouge the Bat, Maria Robotnik & Shadow the Hedgehog
Series: Shadowverse AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995640
Comments: 11
Kudos: 22





	1. Prologue: A Hero Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, all! Welcome to my latest Sonic the Hedgehog creation, one very much inspired by The Sega Scourge's "What if Sonic Lost His Memory?" AU. Unlike that AU, however, I will be including the events of Sonic Advanced 1 and 2, with the added bonus of shuffling the timeline around to include a retelling of Sonic Battle that happens prior to Sonic Heroes, perhaps even including Emerl's survival as well. 
> 
> Also, while Silver, Blaze, and a version of the Sonic Forces Custom Hero will be making an early debut as "Team Silver," or rather, "The Future Fighters," it won't have anything to do with Sonic Androids like in Scourge's AU, but rather a completely different threat. 
> 
> Also, ShadAmy will be a thing in this AU, and while I know that Amy wouldn't get over Sonic so quickly, and Shadow wouldn't admit his feelings so easily, I do have plans to do several chapters in between events of each of the games, the events of which each take part a few months at minimum from each other, and several of them involve Shadow helping Amy to heal from Sonic's death in some way or another, and as a result, the two of them will begin to develop feelings for each other. Hopefully, this will be sufficient enough to make it seem less weird and forced that they would get together. Plus, it'd be a great chance for Amy to get some character development when we hit the Sonic Heroes arc.
> 
> Well, that's enough on my end, so let's get this party started!

_Prologue_

_A Hero Falls_

_Low Orbit Above Mobius..._

The world below was in a state of panic and chaos. Professor Gerald Robotnik had rigged the Space Colony ARK to crash into Mobius once the seven Chaos Emeralds had been collected, causing massive destruction and numerous casualties.

Only two hedgehogs stood a chance in Hell of stopping the space station's fall, both having powers endowed upon them by the mystical gems known as the Chaos Emeralds and taken golden Super forms. One of the hedgehogs was a brilliant shade of blue and had green eyes. His name was Sonniku Allen, but everyone called him Sonic because of his uncanny ability to run faster than the speed of sound. The second was jet black and crimson, with burning red eyes. This was Shadow, and he was the world's Ultimate Life Form, created to unlock the secret to immortality, cure all diseases, no matter how terminal or deadly they were, and later re-purposed as the United Federation's ace-in-the-hole super soldier.

Together, the two brave heroes flew towards the plummeting Space Colony, their energy forming a shield in hopes of stopping the ARK's descent, though it was more of a temporary solution at best. At worst, they'd be space-kill.

"I've got an idea! We have to use Chaos Control! But, we have to do it together!" yelled Sonic.

Shadow nodded just as their shield made contact with the ARK.

"Now, Shadow!" yelled Sonic.

Together, the two heroes cried out, "CHAOS... CONTROL!" Both they and the colony were enveloped in a bright white light. But, as the hedgehogs’ eyes grew more accustomed to the surrounding blankness, they realized that Sonic's plan had merely bought them some time, slowing the ARK's plummet to the Earth 

"What?!" said Sonic in disbelief.

"The ARK... it's still falling... did the professor expect something like this?" asked Shadow.

Sonic, with desperation in his voice, asked, "What now?"

Shadow sighed. There was only one other option. It may not end well for him, but it had to be done. "If I use my full power and the power of these Emeralds-" said Shadow, moving to remove his Inhibitor-Rings, before Sonic grabbed his wrist.

"Shadow, are you crazy? That much power will-" said Sonic, before Shadow cut him off.

"-kill me. I know," the Ultimate Life Form finished for Sonic.

Sonic sighed and shook his head. "I can't let you do that," he said.

"We don't have any other options," said Shadow, starting to sound a little frustrated.

Sonic grabbed Shadow's shoulders. "Shadow, I heard what the professor said. I know why you were created... but this? This is suicide. You can't just throw away your life like it has no meaning. You have your own life to live now. Don't follow what the professor said," he said.

Shadow tried to argue, but Sonic just raised his voice. "Eggman took your life away from you when he released you! He used you! That's all you've ever been! Used! What about _your_ life? What about the life of Shadow the Hedgehog? Huh?"

Now Shadow was really starting to get angry. "My life is dedicated to all those on Earth! You helped me realize that! I'm the only one who can do this! I'm far more powerful than you!" he yelled.

"Having power and knowing how to use it are two completely different things!" Sonic yelled back.

Shadow raised his fist. "Sonic, don't make me force you to get out of my way," he said.

Sonic closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Shadow... but that’s something I refuse to let happen to you!" yelled Sonic, discharging a small burst of energy that caused Shadow to start flying out of Chaos Control. "I have far more experience with the Chaos Emeralds than you do. I just can't let you throw your life away."

Sonic turned in the direction of the ARK. "I kinda hate leaving everybody like this... but, you have to live your life, Shadow... I'm counting on you, buddy. Take care of everybody for me… and… apologize for Tails and Amy for me, okay?" he said. 

In the mind of Sonic the Hedgehog, the faces of his friends were as clear as the nose on his face. Standing out particularly bright among them was Amy Rose, the hedgehog he had always loved, but had been afraid to reveal his true feelings for out of fear, not of rejection, the fact that Amy glomped him every time she laid eyes on the Blue Blur had made it clear that was never a concern. Instead, his fear of admitting his feelings for her steamed from a fear of making her a target for Eggman to use against him.

"This is it. Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog," Sonic said, his voice and face clearly indicating that he had made his peace with this world and the ramifications of what he was about to do.

Before Shadow could do anything to stop Sonic, he drifted out of Chaos Control. "SONIC!" yelled Shadow as he desperately tried to reach for the blue hero.

"CHAOS... CONTROL!" bellowed Sonic at the top of his lungs.

In one mighty burst of pure Chaos Energy, Sonic single-handedly placed the Space Colony ARK back into orbit. With nothing left to give, the dying hero took one last look at the world below him.

"Live your life to the fullest... Shadow..." whispered Sonic as he fell back down to Earth in his Super Form, and into Death's embrace.

_A Short Time Later..._

Onboard the Space Colony, Amy Rose, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Rouge the Bat, and Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, were congregated in the observation room, waiting for the two male hedgehogs to return after having stopped the ARK from crashing into the Earth.

The door leading into the lab opened behind them, causing them all to see Shadow, now reverted to his normal, black and red striped form, frowning at the gathered group. Most of them hadn't known Shadow for all that long, they had come to assume that the perpetual frown on his face was essentially his default expression. However, while only Rouge and Eggman noticed that something seemed different about his frown, everyone in the room noticed that a certain someone who had gone with Shadow to stop the Final Hazard was missing… that fact alone caused a creeping feeling of dread to creep up on Tails, Amy, and, though neither of them would admit it, Rouge and Dr. Eggman.

"S-Shadow?" Amy asked innocently "W-where's Sonic?"

Shadow closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Amy Rose… Sonic… he's gone… he gave his life to stop the ARK from falling…"

With those words, Amy, Tails, and Knuckles' worst fears were confirmed. The pink hedgehog suddenly lost the will to keep standing and fell to her knees, her tears flowing like a never-ending waterfall as Tails and Rouge ran up to her, doing what they could to help console the weeping girl. Knuckles, meanwhile, had an expression that was _beyond_ enraged. Tails and Amy had thought they'd lost Sonic once already today, and now, he was really gone.

Eggman, meanwhile, turned to look out the window, giving a breathtaking view of the world below, his expression unreadable, though his glasses hid a somber look. He was finally rid of that horrid little hedgehog, that loathsome little obstacle who always got in his way, now nothing could truly stop him from building the Eggman Empire!

But then… why did he feel so _sad_ about Sonic's death, despite having tried to end him earlier that day? Was it because of all the "dances" they'd had over years? Was it because he had been cheated out of a final victory against his old nemesis? Or was it because that the thrill of the game and a final victory against Sonic motivated him as much as world domination, that drive pushing him to build better, deadlier machines, and generally be a better scientist, and now he would never have that thrill again?

Shadow, meanwhile, moved towards Tails and Amy, a somber expression on his face. "I… I'm sorry. I… I tried to stop him, I was more than willing to sacrifice myself in his stead but… can you forgive me?" the black hedgehog hesitantly asked.

Tails and Amy seemed to not hear Shadow, as the latter continued bawling her little heart out and the former continued to do what he could to put her pain at ease.

Shadow gave a small, sad chuckle. "It's all right… I'll understand if you can't forgive me…" he said before giving another chuckle. "I… I know that we didn't exactly meet on the most… amicable of terms but… from what I could tell from fighting against and alongside Sonic… he was a good man-"

"SHUT UP! YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO TALK ABOUT HIM?!!" Knuckles the Echidna roared, tears running down his face as he drove a Hammer Fist-enhanced punched directly into Shadow's face, sending the black hedgehog flying into the observation window with enough force to crack the reinforced glass, prompting a large security shutter to close off the entire window.

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU, NOT HIM! NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU WEREN'T AROUND!" snarled Knuckles angrily.

_You're right… Knuckles, was it? You're absolutely right… Sonic and Maria both… they died for me. They died so that I could live… both times, it should have been me,_ thought Shadow as he laid upon the ground with his eyes closed. A simple punch to the face was nothing compared to the blow that had been dealt to Knuckles, Tails, and Amy. A blow that Shadow himself had a great deal of experience being on the receiving end of.

"AND YOU!" Knuckle roared as he turned his attention to Doctor Eggman, who promptly adopted a look that could only be described as sheer panic as he stumbled backwards from the enraged echidna.

"KNUCKLES! CUT IT OUT! ACTING LIKE THIS ISN'T GOING TO BRING SONIC BACK!" Tails yelled at the echidna that was seeing the same red as his fur, while Amy sobbed harder than ever before at Knuckles' outburst.

After a few tense moments, Knuckles very reluctantly stood down, allowing himself to be pulled into the group hug with Tails and Amy, the three of them grieving in silence. Rouge the Bat, meanwhile, made her way over to Shadow and helped the black hedgehog to his feet.

"You okay?" Rouge asked.

"Please," Shadow said softly. "I'm the Ultimate Life Form. I can take a punch to the face… other things however… not so much."

After a few moments, however, Shadow realized that Doctor Eggman had given them all the slip, using the grieving as his opportunity to get away before anyone realized what had happened.

"Son of a bitch!" snarled Shadow in anger at this realization, slamming his fist into the nearby wall.

Slowly, the group of Mobians began to leave the room and make their way towards the space shuttle and their ride home. Still concerned for the black hedgehog, Rouge turned to look at him.

"So… now that you have your own life to live, Shadow… what comes next? I'm sure the President and GUN would be happy to have you on board, and I'd be glad to have you as my partner-"

Shadow gave a hollow laugh. "Are you shitting me right now? Work for the people who killed Maria?" he asked, giving Rouge an angry look before sighing. "We'll have to see what happens. Right now, I'm going to find Eggman and make him answer for his crimes. I'm going to fight for justice the way that Sonic would have… after all… I have a promise to keep."

And with that, Shadow stalked off alone with his thoughts.

_Give them a chance to be happy… was that it? Was that your wish, Maria? Has Sonic fulfilled that wish?_ pondered Shadow. _Maria… Sonic… they both died for me… to give me a life… from this day forth, that's exactly what I'm gonna do! I will fight for justice and for the people of this planet, humans and Mobians alike!_

_This is my promise to you, Maria… and Sonic!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the prologue! If you liked what you saw here, then be sure to kudos, bookmark, and comment, and be sure to join us next time as we witness the aftermath of Sonic's sacrifice, and how it has affected those he once alled his friends. See you then!


	2. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, all! Happy Halloween, and welcome back to Supporting Me! Thanks to everyone who faved, followed, and reviewed the last chapter. That being said, I've run into a bit of a snag in my master plan for this installment of the series. Upon further investigation, it appears as though Sonic Advance 1 and Sonic Advance 2… don't actually have anything close to a malleable plot outside of "Eggman kidnaps animals to make robots." True, in Advance 2, he kidnaps Tails and Knuckles, but apart from that, there's not much of a plot for me to work with. Thankfully, I have come up with a solution to this problem. What this master plan of mine is, however… well, you'll just have to wait and see, but I'm sure you guys will really like this bit of canon divergence. But, that's enough of that, let's get this party started!

_ Chapter One _

_ The Aftermath _

It hadn't been until two months after Sonic had fallen from the ARK that funeral preparations even became a notion, much less begun to take form. GUN, Tails, and Amy Rose alike had used both technological and mystical means to try and locate Sonic, but to no avail, even as Amy's mental and physical health began to deteriorate from her grief, sparking worry among her friends especially Shadow, as Sonic had tasked him with taking care of the friends and loved ones that he had left behind.

In the end, everyone was forced to call off the search, concluding that Sonic's body had burnt to ashes upon re-entry, or whatever was left had fallen directly into the ocean, rendering it impossible to recover without diving equipment, assuming they could even figure out where exactly where it was, and that there was enough left of him to be identified and recovered.

When the day finally came to lay Sonic, or rather, an empty, weighted coffin in lieu of a body, to rest, the whole of Mobius was in mourning as massive memorial services and federal holidays were declared from Station Square to Central City. However, Sonic's actual funeral was restricted to close friends and family only, so as to avoid making the tragic and somber event into a media circus. GUN had even volunteered to provide security for the memorial service.

As Shadow sat among those gathered, protected by their umbrellas as a heavy rain fell upon them, making it seem as though the heavens themselves were grieving the loss of the Blue Blur, he tugged at the collar of his sleek black suit, recalling the events that had transpired for him since Sonic fell. He had received a presidential pardon for his crimes while he had been working with Doctor Eggman as a result of helping to stop the ARK from crashing into the planet. Although, Rouge had told him that her boss, the commander of GUN, was beyond furious at learning this information, going on about how Shadow was evil and how he was the enemy. Shadow, for his part, felt that the Commander's reaction to the pardon was a bit peculiar, as he hadn't done anything to him personally. But, at the same time, the man's name, Abraham Tower, rang several bells for the black hedgehog, recalling Maria mentioning a friend aboard the ARK that was like a younger brother to her that shared the same name as the Commander. It was a long shot, but perhaps the Commander had been among the very, very few survivors from the massacre.

One by one, those closest to the Blue Blur made their way up to the podium and spoke their piece, going on about how Sonic had been less of a friend and more like a brother to each of them. As the memorial service progressed, Shadow took notice that the only one from Sonic's circle of friends who hadn't taken the stage to say their parting words about the fastest thing alive was Amy Rose, who sat among the pews in a lacy black and red dress, underneath a black and white umbrella. In fact, just looking at her from where he was sitting in the pews, Shadow could tell just how badly Amy had started to deteriorate.

The pink hedgehog's fur and quills had become matted and was clearly in desperate need of a wash. What Shadow could see of Amy's flesh had taken on a paler shade, and she seemed to have lost a bit of weight. And her eyes… those green gems of hers had once been so full of light and happiness, had become dull, empty, and lifeless in recent months, making it seem as though her soul had completely abandoned her body.

It was very concerning for Amy's friends, but it was especially concerning for Shadow, and not just because of what Sonic had instructed him to do. It was also because of how much the pink hedgehog reminded him of Maria Robotnik. Shadow wasn't sure why Rose reminded him of Eggman's cousin, she simply did, and as a result, he cared very much for the girl.

Finally, the memorial service came to a close as they lowered the empty coffin into the ground and began to pile on the dirt as the attendees slowly began to depart for their homes or wherever their next destinations took them, save for Amy. Shadow decided to take the opportunity to sit down and actually talk with Amy, and see if she was really, truly, okay.

"Hey, Rose," said Shadow as he took a seat next to Amy, who glanced at Shadow. 

"What do you want, Shadow?" the pink hedgehog spat, her voice dry and cracked, clearly a result of having spent a great deal of her time crying as of late.

"I… just wanted to see if you were okay," Shadow replied. "I know what it's like to lose someone near and dear to you… and I was wondering how you were holding up."

"How do you think I'm holding up?" snarled Amy angrily, causing Shadow to recoil slightly. "The only one I ever loved is gone… I keep using my tarot cards to try to find him, and each time the reading turns out the same, that he's nowhere to be found… how could you, Tails, Knuckles, or anyone else expect me to be okay?!"

"That's exactly how I thought you were doing," Shadow muttered to himself before speaking directly to Amy. "Amy, look… I can't say I know exactly how you feel, but as I've said before, I know what it's like to lose someone. Unlike me, you have friends you can call on for support in these times, and I can tell that you need them, desperately."

Amy rolled her eyes in irritation. "I don't have to sit here and listen to this," she said as she stood up, only to wince in pain when Shadow grabbed her arm, something the black hedgehog noticed.

"Amy… tell me honestly… are you  _ really _ okay?" Shadow growled, the utmost seriousness in his voice.

Amy yanked her arm away from the black hedgehog. "Good-bye, Shadow!" the pink hedgehog snarled, turning on her heel and walking away. As she did, she pulled up on the sleeve of her dress to reveal several partially healed cuts on her arm.

_ I'm gonna need a drink tonight, _ thought Amy as she stalked away.

_ Meanwhile, Off The Coast Of Station Square… _

A mysterious, shimmering blue vortex appeared on a shoreline that provided a great view of Station Square. Through it emerged three individuals. One was a white hedgehog with knee-high navy and light blue boots and futuristic looking golden bracelets and anklets not dissimilar to those worn by Shadow the Hedgehog. This was Silver the Hedgehog, a master of psychokinesis.

The second of these newcomers was a female cat with lavender fur wearing a purple tailcoat with dark pink trim, a gold collar, white leggings, white gloves with fuzzy cuffs and high heeled, dark pink shoes with white stripes and fuzzy cuffs. This was Blaze the Cat, Silver's girlfriend.

The third of these individuals was a wolf with black fur clad in a black leather tailcoat with a popped collar, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, black pants, black leather boots, and black leather gloves. This was Gadget the Wolf, a technological genius on par with Miles "Tails" Prower and Doctor Eggman.

"Well, we're here," Silver said, stretching as he spoke. "We should have about a year before those monstrous black aliens arrive. Should be plenty of time, right guys?"

"It should be," Blaze confirmed. "Now we need to find those legendary heroes and their associates."

Gadget seemed excited about the whole ordeal. "I can't wait to show the legendary Doctor Prower my toys!"

_ Meanwhile, At A Top Secret Eggman Base… _

Eggman stood with a sinister smile on his face as he watched machinery run scientific tests on a white and red pod, the contents of which were concealed by viscous green liquid. Those idiotic fools were all mourning the death of the horrid little hedgehog who had been a thorn in his side for much too long…

The doctor himself would likely be doing the same, had it not been for a mildly alarming and incredible discovery by one of his robots. With this discovery came a chance to do some research that he had always wanted to do, research that could very well be the key to his ultimate victory and finally bringing Eggmanland to fruition, in a deliciously ironic twist of fate.

However, where there was smoke, there was fire. From his time working with the Ultimate Life Form, the doctor knew that Shadow had the potential to become a far, far more dangerous threat to not only his plots and schemes, but even his very life. Doctor Eggman had been keeping a low profile these last few months so as to not incur the Black Blur's wrath until he had a proper countermeasure against him. 

And thankfully, the fallen idol that was his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, had provided one. Turns out, Project Shadow wasn't the  _ only _ military weapon that mad scientist had been working on…

From behind Doctor Eggman, a voice spoke.

_ "SHOW ME YOUR POWER, OR I WILL NOT OBEY. I REPRESENT ALL THINGS, AND I WILL BECOME GIZOID, CONQUEROR OF ALL." _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus concludes Chapter One! Apologies on it being shorter than the last one, but I felt this was a good stopping point. But, Amy doesn't seem like she's in a very good place with Sonic gone, now does she? And it looks like Eggman's letting a certain someone out to play much sooner than in canon… yes, this is indeed my master plan, to fuse the events of the first two Sonic Advance games with the events of Sonic Battle, creating what I like to call "Shadow Advance Battle." And yes, I totes got that name from the Pokémon anime.
> 
> In any case, if you liked what you saw here, then be sure to kudos, bookmark, and comment, and join us next time as Shadow crosses paths with a certain Gizoid once again! Have a safe Halloween, everybody!


End file.
